Strangeness Ensures
by Anna Davenport
Summary: Merlin is sick and Arthur has no idea what is going on. Especially when Merlin take on the looks and mind of a two year old. Arthur embarks on a quest to fingd a cure while defending Merlin from Morgana, wild beasts and other things/people. Kid!Merlin, Caring!Arthur, Reveal!Story Rated T for swearing and violence. No Gwen, sorry folks.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! I watched all five seasons of Merlin over Christmas break and decided to enter the Merlin fandom. Yay for me! Not sure when the next update is coming depends on how busy I am but I will try to get it up in two weeks if not sooner.**

Merlin really was not feeling all that well. All morning he had felt like he was that close to keeling over and wretching his guts out all over the ground. He had not had the chance to sit down or even just to stand for a minute since Arthur had had him very buzy running all sorts of errands and doing every chore he could think of. Or at least that was what it felt like to Merlin.

All morning everyone, the staff and knights alike, had been asking him if he felt alright. He had brushed them all off saying that he was just fine, that he was just a little tired from staying up late the past few days, and begging them not to say anything to Arthur, insisting that the newly appointed King did not need to know, that he did not need that on his plate as well.

Merlin shook his head as he heard a very familliar voice penetrate his mind.

"Merlin!"

Speak of the devil… Merlin straightened as Arthur walked around the corner, just coming in from training with the knights, all sticky from sweat and the occasional splatter of blood from the small cuts they got sometimes.

Merlin inwardly groaned but staggered to his feet, so that he could see to helping Arthur get ready for the big banquet that was being held that night in honor of the peace treaty made with a neighboring kingdom that Merlin was just to tired to remember the name of at the moment.

"Merlin." Arthur said again in a voice that suggested he was saying this for the third or fourth time.

"Huh?" Merlin asked, horrified to hear that his words were slightly slurred, almost to the point that it was noticible. "Wha? Right, bath and clean clothes. On it." Merlin stumbled as he walked toward the doors.

"Merlin, I asked you what you thought of this shirt."

Merlin felt a hand on his arn and he heard the concern in Arthur's voice and he gently spun Merlin around to see what was wrong with his manservant.

But it would seem that even that small motion was enough to send Merlin into the action he had been surpressing, if only barely, all morning.

Merlin's world spun and darkness closed in around the edge of his vision and he fell to the ground and brought back up the bit of breakfast he had comsumed just earlier that morning. He could hear Arthur exclaiming his name in disgust and some other emotion he could quite place, he was in too much pain to try to decifer the exact emotion at the moment.

He was now dry heaving as all the food he had comsumed in the last day and a half was now in a disgusting puddle on the floor at Arthur's feet.

He felt strong hands scoop him up and lay him down on a soft bed, and blankets being drawn up to his chin and he could vaugely hear Arthur's voice calling for someone to bring Gaius and to hurry up, Damn it! Merlin smirked at the worry in Arthur's voice that he was cirtainly dreaming up… Arthur didnt care about him. Not even a little bit, Merlin was sure of that. He felt a cool hand rest on his forhead and a warm hand slip into his and he smiled as he drifted off into a land without pain and suffering.

Arthur watched as Merlin looked at him with a moment of clarity before his eyes rolled back into his head and he slipped into a unconcious state.

He had been quite alarmed when Merlin had arrived at his chambers that morning, pale as the sheets on Artthur's bed, with glassy eyes and shaking limbs. Arthur had started out by asking Merlin a series of question aimed to figure out what he was going to wear today, but when he had asked Merlin if the grey shirt went with the tan trousers Merlin hadnt seemed to listen. In fact Arthur had said his name three times before Merlin had started out of the trance like state he had been in and stuttered something about bathwater and clean clothes and started to walk out the door.

Arthur, now really concerned for his servents health, grabbed Merlins arm and spun him around. He was disgusted and very worried when Merlin crumpled and threw up at his feet.

"Merlin!" he exclaimed before scooping Merlin up in his arms and walking over to his own lush and comfy bed that was over near his window. He pulled the covers over Merlin and called for a servent.

"George," he said, when said servant walked in "Go and get Giaus right now. Tell him Merlin is sick." when George hesitated Arthur yelled, "Hurry up, Damn it!"

"Right away sire." George said before running off to fetch Giaus.

Arthur turned to Merlin who was laying on the bed and placed one hand on his servants forhead and grasped Merlin's hand in his other.

He was relieved to see Merlin look up at him and smile.

However, when Merlin's eyes rolled back into his head and he closed his eyes, Arthur panicked. He would later deny it, the king does not panic, and say he was merly worried that he would have to go through the hassle of finding another servent besides George, who all the castle knew Arthur could not stand in the least.

"Merlin!" he said, gently shaking Merlins shoulders in an attempt to wake his manservent up. When Merlin did not wake up Arthur slapped his face.

"Merlin!"

Just then Giaus ran in, medicine bag in hand and ready to treat the boy they all knew and loved.

"Giaus," Arthur said, turning to the old physician, "I demand that you make him wake up."

"I will see what I can do sire." Giaus said grabbing some smelling salts out of his bag and waving them under Merlin's nose. When that failed he set about doing a routine check up, breathing, feeling for broken bones, ect. A few minutes later he straightened up.

"I can not do anything else for him sire." he admitted.

Arthurs face fell and took on a worried look. "Please Giaus," he begged, "Cant you do anything?"

"You will just have to wait till he wakes up." Giaus told the young king, before packing up his medicine bag and leaving.

Arthur sat near the edge of the bed and took Merlins hand in his own. "Come on, idiot." he whispered, tears filling his eyes as he was now alone. "You have to wake up! If not because your king demands it then for Hunith and Anna."

Anna, Arthur realized he had yet to tell Merlin's best friend and Morgana's former maid about what had happened. Then he reconsidered, would it be fair to let her know when they were uncertain about so much? Yes it was, she was one of the first people to really befriend Merlin and Arthur suspected they knew eachother from somewhere, they just weren't letting on how they knew eachother exactly.

They were always laughing over small jokes and things that made no sense to Arthur and the knights, they were the around same age, Anna was slightly older, and looked quite similar. Black hair and blue eyes, same scarf type around their necks. He remembered when Anna had first come to Camelot, dressed as a boy, looked a hell of a lot like Merlin he thought frowning at how similar they were, there was something there… he was sure of it. Arthur brushed it off, calling softly to George and asking him to have Anna come down to his chambers.

George gave him an odd look but rushed to do as the King asked. Arthur smiled and wondered for just a second what it would be like to have a servant that did his bidding without question and quickly. He shook the thought out of his head moments later though and looked down at Merlin thinking, 'I didnt mean it Merlin! Please wake up.' Even if he did fire Merlin or give him leave, Merlin would never have to leave Camelot or ever need again. Arthur would take care of him for the rest of his life.

Just then a hurried knock came at the door, bring Arthur out of his thoughts for the second time that night. "Come in." he called softly, knowing who it was.

Anna burst in and without a second glance at Arthur ran over to the prone body on the bed. "Merlin!" she cried, obviously distraught, as she knelt next to the bed on the opposite side of Arthur.

The young king was once again reminded of how alike Merlin and Anna were, but he shook it off and quickly explain what had happened. "Giaus said all we can do is wait for him to wake up." he finished, adding "You can stay if you want to." when he saw her open her mouth to undoubtedly ask him to keep her posted. Arthur stood up and walked over to his desk and pulled out a sheet of paper to start writing a peacy treaty that he wanted to purpose to Cenred's kingdom. A little while later he paused in his work, glancing up to see Anna fast asleep on the floor with her head leaning on the bed. Arthur smiled and gently covered her with a blanket before settling down in his comfy chair and closing his eyes.

When Arthur woke the next morning it was small fingers poking his chest. He shifter his weight slightly and opened his eyes. He was greeted by a small boy sitting in his lap, a boy who looked uncanily like… Merlin?!

**AN: Hope you enjoyed. Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hey everyone! Sorry for not updating sooner, there has been some crazy stuff going on in my life. Here is the second chapter of Strangeness Ensures.**

Arthur looked at the young boy in his lap with jaw dropped and his eyes wide. Last he had seen of his idiotic manservant, Merlin had been lying on Arthur's bed. With that thought Arthur turned toward his bed and saw that the covers had been pushed back, and Anna wasn't there. He frowned and started to stand up, putting his reflexes to the test when he forgot that there was a baby in his lap.

He looked down at the baby he was he was holding rather awkwardly.

"What am I supposed to do with you?" He asked the air and was startled when it seemed to answer him.

"Hold him properly for one thing, or put him down and let him... Oh just give him here!" Anna walked in from around the corner and took the baby from Arthur and gently placed him down on the floor.

"Now then," she said, turning to Arthur. "Who is this and where is my bro... Merlin? Where is Merlin?"

Arthur frowned at her slight slip of the tongue and wondered what she was going to say. When she didn't continue, he began to speak.

"I don't know where Merlin is! He was gone when I woke up, and he," Arthur pointed to the baby, "Was here!"

Anna sighed and sat down in Arthur's chair, placing her hand in her forehead is disparity.

Arthur looked down at Merlin's… whatever she was to him, and asked, "Are you okay?"

Anna straightened up at this and nodded, wiping her eyes.

"I am fine," she said, her voice trembling slightly; Arthur pretended not to notice.

Anna stood up abruptly and walked out of the room, ignoring Arthur who tried to get her talk to him, but she shoved him out of the way before closing the door. Arthur bristled but didn't say anything understanding that she was worried about Merlin and whoever the young baby was. Upon that thought Arthur looked around the room for the young baby and was surprised to see that the boy was nowhere in sight. He fell into a slight panic, before realizing that he couldn't have gotten far. Arthur started to panic before he remembered the knights, he would recruit the knights to help him find the baby.

MMMMM

Anna walked to a prearranged section of the woods and called out in an ancient tongue.

"Leth-philulhar lorg mi agus trobhad!" Her voice echoed through the forest.

She sat down and prepared for the long wait she had before her good friend arrived.

MMMM

Aimilie slipped through the forest silently, heading toward the spot she knew her friend would be waiting. When she entered the clearing she was greeted by the sight of a person sitting cross legged in the middle of the clearing.

"Greetings sister," he soft melodious voice of the mysterious person drifted across the clearing.

"Greetings Anna," Aimilie said, sitting down across from her friend. "I came as soon as Halia heard your call." She spoke of the Druid village healer who had taken care of her when she was young.

"It is good that you came," Anna said. "We are in desperate need of your healing skills, sister."

"Can you not do it?" Aimilie asked, not knowing what Anna was asking; she had an uneasy feeling about the whole ordeal.

Anna hesitated.

"My powers are not strong enough," she admitted. "Merlin is gravely... It's complicated" She said vaguely.

"How so?" Aimilie's brow furrowed.

"A de-aging spell," Anna explained. "I don't know how to deal with this by myself and I was hoping you could help me. Come to Camelot, sister, I beg of you!" Anna's eyes were calculating and pleading, begging Aimilie to help.

"But… But Camelot… You know I can't go there! There's a reason I live with the druids. What if I'm recognized?"

"No one'll know your identity. Please, Aimilie, Merlin needs your help as much as I do."

"Fine, I will help you." Aimilie sighed, not knowing what she had gotten herself into.

**AN: Hey so feel free to give me ideas for this story!**


End file.
